There is hereby created within the employment security department a program for full-time community service that shall be known and referred to as the Washington serves program. The department shall recruit, train, place, and evaluate applicants to the program. The department may accept applications and enter into agreements or contracts with any governmental or private nonprofit organization appropriate for placement of volunteers under this program. The commissioner, after consultation with the council, may adopt rules as needed to carry out the intent and purposes of this program. It is the intent of the legislature that the commissioner coordinate this program with all volunteer service programs, whether funded with state or federal dollars, in order to maximize the benefits to volunteers and the communities served under the program. It is also the legislature's intent that to the extent that state funds are paid directly to persons that participate in the program, whether to reimburse, support, assist, or provide other direct payment, no volunteer may have such reimbursement, support, assistance, or other payment reduced or withheld for having served in the program.